Tag Archives: gear

WARNING: Stay away from Olympus!

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Back in 2015 I was excited to get my new camera: Olympus OMD Em5II. The decade prior to that I used different Canon cameras and before that again, when I started photographing, I used an old Nikon film camera. If it’s one thing I regret when it comes to photography it’s my decision to change systems from Canon to Olympus.

You should be glad that Olympus has pro service (?), because you’ll definitely be going to need service if you get an Olympus.

You can safely say that my initial enthusiasm for Olympus has died. In the beginning I was happy to make the transition from Canon to Olympus. Well, perhaps died is not the correct word to use: I guess it’s more correct to say that Olympus succesfully killed my enthusiasm.

In these past 4 years since making the change, my Olympus camera has been to service 3 times. Can you guess how many times my Canon cameras needed service during the decade+ I used them? That’s right: not once.

  • The first time my Olympus needed service was in June/July 2017: The on/off button stopped working. The camera didn’t shut off, but kept draining the batteries until they were completely dead.
  • The second time my Olympus needed service was in July 2018: Same shit happened again. The on/off button stopped working. The camera didn’t shut off, but kept draining the batteries until they were completely dead.
  • The third time my Olympus needed service was in May 2019: I opened the screen on the back of the camera and it fell off.

Yesterday when I went and got my camera back from service, the Olympus factory (the shop has to ship the camera from Oslo to an Olympus factory in Germany or something, so the process of getting the camera fixed takes several weeks) also sent me a pamphlet together with the camera. The pamphlet contained information on how to properly use the screen on the back of the camera.
I told the guys at Scandinavian Photo here in Oslo: perhaps someone from Canon or Nikon should send Olympus some information on how to make quality cameras?

Other problems with Olympus:
– Make sure to carry enough batteries, because they don’t last long.
– Save your favorite settings, because they’ll be reset to factory settings every time you have to deliver your camera for repair.

My initial enthusiasm for Olympus:
https://artishorseshit.wordpress.com/2015/05/14/new-toys/

 

Travel Friendly Tripod

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Because I’m going to Italy (my colleague is picking me up in an hour), I decided to buy a new tripod. The one I already have (Induro AKB1 | AT113)  is a very good and stable tripod, but it’s too large for travels and it ends up spending most of its time home alone.

So, this morning I went to the local toy store Scandinavian Photo and bought a Benro IT25. It can fit in a small suitcase, which means that it’s good for travelling. It’s made out of aluminium. They had some lighter carbon tripods there too, but the prices were too high. The aluminum one was something like 400 grams heavier and about 100 Euro cheaper.

Induro AKB1 | AT113 won’t fit a small suitcase.
The Benro IT25 fits a small suitcase.
Folded Benro IT25
My new travel companion. 
In the camera bag I've packed:  
Olympus OMD EM5II
A 45mm, f1.8. Lens 
A 40-150mm, f2.8 lens
One ND8, plus one ND32 filter. 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM5 with a 12-32mm f3.5

Now I’m looking forward to try out this new tripod.

Specifications for Benro IT25:  
Sections: 5
Maximum height: 1545mm
Folded: 415mm
Weight 1,61kg
Load: 6kg

Enjoy your weekend!

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